Scottish Destiny

Chapter Twenty - One

"Kathryn dinna eat much while ye journeyed Grant?" Lady McGregor asked while she continued to brush Kathryn's hair.

"Nae," Grant looked down at his slumbering wife in his arms, confusion on his face.  "She ate well, as the rest of us did.  Twas just sleeping that she dinna do verra much."

"Oh," replied Lady McGregor as she paused in-between strokes looked down thoughtfully at her daughter.   "Ye have been married now for three weeks Grant?" she questioned him, her voice held slight amusement.

"Aye," Grant replied looking even more confused.  "Ye believe that Kathryn is ill?"

"Nae," she smiled up at him.  "Tis well perhaps she may already be carrying your bairn."

Grants eyes went wide now, the thought had crossed his mind, and perhaps if his mother-in-law thought so, then she may be right.   He grinned now, "Och, tis a possibility then?"

"Perhaps," Lady McGregor smiled back as she shrugged her shoulders.  "Kathryn hasna mentioned anything to ye about when her last courses were?"

Blushing and not able to look at his mother-in-law in the face..."Nae," Grant gruffly replied.   "She hasna had them since we married."

Lady McGregor nodded her head thoughtfully and shyly smiled at Grant's embarrassment, "Then tis a verra good possibility."

It was several hours later when Grant joined the rest in the great hall.  After putting his wife to bed, Grant didn't want to leave her.   Crawling into bed, he held onto his wife, watching her sleep, replaying in his mind what his mother-in-law had mentioned.   It was a good possibility that he might already be becoming a Da and sheer happiness was coursing through his blood.   Everything set aside that was horrible that happened earlier in the day, but the thought that Kat may already be carrying his child made Grant grin from ear to ear.

"I love ye," Grant whispered against her hair as he inhaled her soft floral scent.   One last stroke of his fingers through her hair, Grant headed down towards the great hall to have something to eat himself.  He also want wanting to speak to his brothers to see if he had missed any discussions about his marriage to Kat.

What greeted Grant surprised him.   Two men were head to head, shouting at each other, both with their hands hovering over the hilts of their swords.   He didn't want to interfere, so he went along the outskirts of the hall and quietly made his way over to where his brothers were seated.   Gavin and Jamie were both standing, hand on the hilts of their swords as well.   As Grant sat, he realized that one of the men was his father-in-law, but the other, he couldn't see.

"What have a missed?" Grant said sitting down and taking some food for himself.  There wasn't much left, some bread and cheese, but he didn't mind.   The evening meal would be served in several hours and this would tie him over.

"Ye dinna miss much," Andrew said never taking his eyes off of the two men arguing.  "We dinna discuss ye and Kat.  Gavin tried to bring it up to his Da but his Da dinna wish to say anything, so Gavin dropped it.   We have been waiting until ye arrive."

"What took ye so long?" Robert asked getting into the discussion.

"I stayed with Kat for awhile," Grant said shrugging.  He didn't feel he needed to explain where or what he was doing.  What he and his mother-in-law had spoken about, he didn't want to say anything just yet.   Not until he was sure.

Gavin turned towards the group of them now, "Who is my Da shouting with?"

"Aye," Jamie turned as well.  "I've never seen him afore."

"Neither have I," Robert said, Andrew nodded as well. 

When Grant looked over Jamie's shoulder to get a better view, he started to choke on a piece of bread.   Robert quickly coming to his aid, slammed him a couple of times in the back and then handed up a cup of wine.